Climatic and Hydrologic Oscillations in the Owens Lake Basin and Adjacent Sierra Nevada, California

Authors

Larry Benson, University of Colorado at BoulderFollow
James W. Burdett, U.S. Geological Survey
Michaele Kashgarian, Lawrence Livemore National Laboratory
Steve Lund, University of Southern CaliforniaFollow
Fred Phillips, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Robert O. Rye, U.S. Geological Survey

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

1996

Citation

Science Volume 274 (November 1996)

Abstract

Oxygen isotope and total inorganic carbon values of cored sediments from the Owens Lake basin, California, indicate that Owens Lake overflowed most of the time between 52,500 and 12,500 carbon-14 (¹⁴C) years before present (B.P.). Owens Lake desicated during or after Heinrich event H1 and was hydrologically closed during Heinrich event H2. The magnetic susceptibility and organiz carbon content of cored sediments indicate that about 19 Sierra Nevada glaciations occurred between 52,500 and 23,500 ¹⁴C years B.P.